Phoenix Suns: What’s behind Devin Booker’s slow start?
The sheer weight of a dysfunctional organization
Devin Booker is aware he’s being paid like a max-level player. He knows his team can’t win without him and he knows the expectations of an entire fanbase — one that’s used to winning, hungry for its first championship and hasn’t seen the playoffs since 2010 — rest on his shoulders.
At the tender age of 22, he’s already carrying the weight of perhaps the NBA’s most chaotic organization. Of course he’s not going to sit or use it as an excuse for his slow start, even as he’s learning to trust the hammy again.
When Ariza returns, Mikal Bridges has played well enough that he could remain in the starting lineup alongside Ariza and Warren, with Booker taking over full-time point guard duties. Even if that doesn’t happen, his current load will continue until the Suns trade for a better option at the 1.
"“Book is Book,” Kokoskov said. “We’re asking for a lot and he’s giving a lot.”"
On the outside, Devin Booker’s start to the 2018-19 campaign probably looks like vindication for those who thought his performance in 2017-18 was a fluke, unsustainable or just plain empty numbers.
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He bears a sizable portion of the blame for this disappointing first month, but between the state of the roster, a few maladies and the dire straits of the organization itself, the truth is, he never really had a chance.